Saturday, August 14, 2010
the backstory of the two jakes is oil
being back in california is always a mixed bag for me. my history is rooted there and all my children are there. (i feel as if i'm doing a voice over for a film noir already.) the coastline between san francisco and los angeles is littered with stories of incredible success and abysmal failure. multi-million dollar homes built on the edge of the world routinely slide into the ocean, only to be rebuilt a few yards in similarly unstable land. earthquakes, fires, torrential rains can make life exciting, unpredictable and yet, when you've lived there, grown up there and finally walked away, it's just part of being a native. all of it is part of your dna because you live on the faultline.
but back to the two jakes. it was always supposed to be part 2 in a california trilogy; water (chinatown), oil (the two jakes) and the final installment, real estate. but, why this bit of film history? the oil platform in the background of the wedding picture, that's why. a bit of oil drilling history in the comments, so to speak. i grew up with oil rigs as part of the scenery in los angeles. they weren't located in just one part of the city, they were everywhere! now, in some parts of the city they were artfully hidden (check out the history of beverly hills), but on the way to LAX, along the hills you'll see the grasshopper shapes still...(i had a conversation with super nana about driving in la, i'm massively lost when i'm not behind the wheel!) so, i can see where i am, i just can't tell you where i am as we take this drive.
where was i?
oh yeah, movies and la.
it's crazy, it's mad, it's la! i'd guess that most of what people know about la is from movies and television. from sunset boulevard to bladerunner and everything in between, la story is as true as manhattan. some people really do drive from one block to the next, just as every woman in nyc wears jimmy choos daily. there is some truth in every story, but, in la...it's all really true!
i've found my home here in the south because of the west coast. the hospitality, the ocean and the storytelling made it a natural fit for me! now, if i could only get a trader joe's in savannah, i'd be really happy!
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How far Jack has come since 'Easy Rider'.
ReplyDeleteYou should do that more often: tell us stuff. You're good at it
There's the title of your great American novel: Life On The Faultline!
ReplyDeletesomehow I missed that movie. I loved Chinatown and LA Confidential.
ReplyDeleteSo here I thought you were a true southern girl but you are a native LA girl. A valley girl gone southern? That would be too big of change I think.
a new addition to the Netflix queue, for sure! With all of my travels, i always feel most out of place in SoCal... the LA area in particular... Still not sure why.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing the thought-tapestry. enjoyed it!
pat...thank you for the kind words! lately, it's been as if i could either just speak and not write or just write and not speak. it's starting to be easier to put fingers to keyboard...and have something to share. xoxoxoo
ReplyDeletexl...LOL all things in good time, sugar! xoxoxox
lisleman...it's one of my favorites! i'm native californian by birth, but southern by choice, sugar, but never, ever a valley girl! ;~) xoxoxoxo
daisy...write your own script whenever you go to la, sugar! everyone there has one or is living one. ;~) xoxoxoxo
Part of me was thinking "that looks like an oil rig" and the rest of me was thinking, "No, not there".
ReplyDeleteMy brain thanks you. :) Glad you settled here.
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ReplyDeleteCalifornia tumbles into the sea,
ReplyDeleteThat'll be the day I go back to Annandale...
Having just come back from LA, where Daughter, she was born in California, just move I understand how you feel about the crazy LA. She now lives in the Japanese/Asian neighborhood near Santa Monica... so jealous ! her home is in a golden triangle of Mitsuwa Market, Trader Joe's, Regular Market and the 405 and 10.
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in Laguna Beach, Ca most of my 30 + years I feel it is home every time I come back !
I am lucky Tucson has a Trader Joe's but if we could get a Mitsuwa Market with it's yummy food court I would be really happy !
cheers, parsnip
Nothing to do with your post. I just wanted to say how very much I appreciate you dropping in and hanging out at mine.
ReplyDeleteMany, many hugs to you and your MITM. Yous damn good people.
Yeah, that 'fault line' thing keeps me firmly planted in Chicago. Even though I love LA...
ReplyDeleteRE: "Trader Joe's" - BEST deals in town. I try to stop in once a week just to nose around. And their flowers are the cheapest in town; good selection always! Hope one hits your hood soon!
Please, Savannah, we'd like some more.....:)
ReplyDeleteI'm eating up this telling! I didn't realize you grew up there either. It makes more sense why all those kiddies are there though. ;)